It has been known in the past to apply a sleeve of reflective material to a traffic cone. For the purposes of this invention, the term "traffic cone" includes, but is not limited to, bodies integrally formed from a flexible polymeric material and having a base portion for supporting an upright, generally conical or cylindrical member.
In the case of traffic cones, it is desirable to adhesively apply reflectorized sheeting material to the exterior of the upright member in order to enhance the visibility of the traffic cone at night or other times of poor visibility. Application of reflective sleeves to a traffic cone has become even more important recently as the latest edition of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Devices (Section 6C-3 Cone Design) promulgated by the Federal Highway Administration (the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference) requires that traffic cones for use on freeways be at least 28 inches in height and if utilized at night, must include two reflective bands three inches in width, one placed a maximum of two inches from the top of the traffic cone and the other band spaced a maximum of six inches from the first band. Alternatively, a six inch wide reflective band may be placed nominally three inches from the top of the traffic cone and a four inch wide reflective sleeve placed two inches below the six inch band. Preferably, the reflective bands must be located within a tolerance of .+-.0.125 inches. Such reflective sheeting may be applied manually, but such a process is slow and therefore expensive and requires considerable skill if accuracy is desired.
U.K. Patent No. 2,096,214 A entitled "Portable Road Markers", commonly assigned to the assignee of the present invention, discloses a method and apparatus for applying a narrow pressure sensitive adhesive tape having a reflective surface opposite the adhesive surface, to a traffic cone or "bollard". The method provides for rotating the tape applying apparatus relative to the traffic cone and means for severing the tape when a sufficient length has been applied to the traffic cone. Means are also provided so that the traffic cone and the tape applying apparatus may be axially shifted relative to each other so that the tape may be applied in a generally helical fashion, although it is contemplated that the tape may be applied in one or more concentric bands. On page 2, lines 44-79, the U.K. '214 patent discusses the difficulties in applying a preformed adjustable sleeve of adhesively secured reflective material to a precise location on a traffic cone.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a method and apparatus for quickly and accurately applying one or more reflective sleeves to a traffic cone.